Pant curtain



June 24, E. G|BBON$ PANT CURTAIN Filed Aug. 20, 1940 IIIIIIIIIHIIHNIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIINNHI INVENTOR. 0M/VJ 6/550/1/.1

BYANLMW Patented June 24, 1941 N UNITED STATES PATENT ortica I andere Edwin J. Gibbons, East Providence, R. I., assigner tu Thomas French & Sons, Ltd., New York, N. Y., a `corporation of NewV York ApplicationAugust 20, 1940, Serial No. 353,341

3` Claims. (Cl.

This invention is directed to a woven narrow fabric particularly adapted 'for use in boys trou. sers to be sewn into the inside of the upper edge thereof, such article being generally known as a pant curtain.

In the prior art it was customary to make a pant curtain by providing a relatively wide strip ofwoven fabric and making a number of folds therein, providing button holes in the folded article, and also stitching the same at several points. More specifically, in the prior art construction the top edge of the strip of fabric Was folded back upon itself for about one-third of the width of the fabric and a series of button holes were then cut and sewed into the doubled portion of the fabric. Thereafter, the upper edge was turned forward for about one-eighth ofan inchin width and the same stitched down along the strip of fabric to form a reinforcing them. The bottom `edge of the fabric was folded baci;- wards, thus forming a rear fabric which was somewhat wider than the face fabric. The complete assembly was then bound togetherby scallop stitching around each ofthe button` holes so as to unite all of the layers offabric into a unit.

This type of construction, while satisfactory Sin use, had a number of disadvantages. It was quite expensive to make, since it required a considerable number of independent Voperations which had to be performed in sequence and in many cases by different workers. Thesingle lines of. stitching used to connect the various portions were not sufficiently strong in many casesso that the garment when worn by an active child often` had the pant curtain damaged or torn.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difcultiesfand disadvantages of prior constructions `off the character described above, it being among the objects of the present invention to provide a unitary piece of fabric which is woven in a suitable loom, whereby the necessity for any hand operations .in the making of the composite fabric is avoided.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a construction of pant curtain which is firm and secure, which functions as desired, and which with severe wear does not separate into the elements.

In practicing the present invention, there are woven two independent narrow fabrics which are superimposed upon each other, with one of the lateral edges of said bands in alignment and woven together at said edge to form a unitary structure. Usually, the weaving together is accomplished by an additional set of `warp threads threads used in the weaving of the individual bandsV entering into the final product. During the Weaving operation a series of button holes are formed on one of the bands, said button holes being in longitudinal alignment and at the cen-` tral 'portion thereof. At a suitable number of areas of contact between the two bands, some of the warp threads of one band are interwoven` with the weft thread of the other band to fur.-`

ther, rmly unite the bands together and also to form a series of spaced pocket-like openings in each `of which one or more button holes are formed. Infthe accompanying drawing, constituting' partthereof, and Vin which like reference char-` acters indicate like parts:

l. Fig.,1 is aface View of a portion of a pant cur.-

tain` Woven in accordance with the present invention; Y l

Fig. `2 is an end elevational View thereof;

Fig.j3 `is `a fragmentary enlarged` view of the.`

inthe same slot of the loom. The band 2 is of somewhat greater width than band I and its lateral edge 3 extends beyond the lateral edge` 4 ofband I. At the opposite sides of bands I and `2 .there is an interweaving in the area `5 which is normally of substantial width. Near the edge Il of band I at regularly spaced intervals are a series of areas 6 and 6 of interweaving of bands I and 2.

the weaving process in band I. In Fig. 3 there is shown the details of the integral formation of bands I and 2 in the area 5. The band I at said area 5 consists of warp threads 8 with an inter- Woven weft thread 9. The `band 2 is similarly made with warp threads IU and a weft thread II. In the specific embodiment shown, there is provided a series of additional warp threads I2 which alternate with warp threads 9 and II of bands I and 2, respectively. In other words. in

Intermediate the areas Gf and 6' button holes 1 and 'I' are formed during' band I there is a warp thread 8, an interlocking warp thread I2, another warp thread 8, and so on. The same arrangement occurs in band 2. It will be noted that warp thread I2 interlaces with weft threads 9 and II of bands I and 2 and in cooperation with warp thread-s 8 and I0 locks the entire structure into a unitary piece of fabric.

Fig. 4 illustrates the details of the interweaving areas 6 and 6'. The band I consists of alternating warp threads I3 and I4 interwoven with the weft 9 and the band 2 consists of warpv threads I and I6 interwoven with weft thread II. At the areas of interweaving, warp threads I3 of the band I extend downwardly and are caught by one pick I'I of weft thread II, then pass upwardly and are caught by the next adjacent pick I8 of weft thread 9, then pass downwardly and are again caught by the next adjacent pick I9 of weft thread II, and then back into the band I to be interwoven as usual. Warp threads I4 in the same area pass downwardly and are caught by pick 20 of weft thread II between picks I'I and I9 of band 2. They then pass upwardly and are woven as usual in the band 9. The areas of interweaving may be greater than as shown in Fig. 4, if desired.

By the present invention there is provided a unitary structure which is simple to manufacture, which can be made automatically on looms without any great amount of supervision, and which are therefore quite economical to manufacture. Because the fabric is made on a loom with conditions always uniform, the strength of all the parts of the fabric is high and uniform. The invention avoids the necessity for numerous operations heretofore considered necessary in the making of a fabric of this type. Because of the interweaving of relatively large areas of the two bands, the pocket-like openings formed thereby cannot open up even under great stress and there is no possibility of any breakage at the areas of junction, quite contrary to the prior art fabric where the line of scallop stitches very often broke under stress.

While I have described my invention setting forth a single embodiment thereof, said embodiment was set forth only for the purpose of illustration and does not limit the scope of the invention. For instance, while the button holes are usually formed on the loom and in a longitudinal aligned position so that the axes of the button holes are in alignment, it is obvious that the button holes may be made independently of the weaving of the fabric at a later stage. They may be placed at any desired angle and may be introduced transversely of the axis of the fabric. The button holes may be spaced uniformly throughout the length of the fabric or they may be spaced in any desired pattern. It is possible, and sometimes advisable, to have more than one button hole in each of the pocket-like openings of the fabric and button holes may be formed through both bands, if desired. The

points of interweaving 6 and 6' are shown as extending for only a part of the width of band I. If desired, they may be extended entirely across the face of said band and instead of having each area consisting of two areas of interweaving, but a single area may be provided. The warp threads I2, instead of being equal in number in the area 5 to the remaining warp threads of the bands, may be in greater or lesser number, as desired. Also, additional threads may be provided, as for example the edges of the button holes may be suitably reinforced by additional Warp or weft threads.

These and other changes may be made in the details of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention is not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A pant curtain comprising a woven narrow fabric having a relatively narrow band woven of warp and weft, a second narrow band also woven of warp and weft superimposed on said irst band, said bands being woven together at one edge only to form a unitary structure, at least some of the warp threads of one band being interwoven with ythe weft of the other band at longitudinally spaced intervals to form a series of pocket-like openings, and button holes formed on one of said bands in an area where it is separated from the other band and in longitudinal alignment in the approximate center of each of said pocket-like openings.

A pant curtain adapted to be sewn into the inside of the upper edge of trousers comprising two relatively narrow superposed bands woven of warp and weft, said bandsI being woven together at one edge only to form a unitary structure over the area of interweaving, a series of buttonholes in spaced relation formed in the free portion of one of said bands, some of the warp threads of the free portions of said bands being interwoven at spaced areas to form a series of pocket-like openings, said areas being adjacent the free edges of said bands and extending only part way to said interwoven edge, said button holes being located in said pocket-like openings.

3.. A pant curtain adapted to be sewn into the inside of the upper edge of trousers comprising two relatively narrow superposed bands woven of warp and weft, said bands being woven together at one edge only to form a unitary structure over the area of interweaving, a series of buttonholes in spaced relation formed in the free portion of one o-f said bands, the free portionof the other band extending laterally beyond the corresponding edge of the rst mentioned band, some of the warp threads of the free portions of said bands being interwoven at spaced areas to form a series of pocket-like openings, said button holes being located in said pocket-like openings.

EDWIN J. GIBBONS. 

